I’m not sure why it’s taken me 24 years to realize this. Maybe it’s because I’m watching a lot of Hallmark movies with the cliche families or maybe it’s because I watched a Keeping Up with the Kardashians marathon on Sunday. But there’s one thing I will absolutely never be able to do.
Know what it’s like to have a sibling.
I’m an only child. Always have been, always will be. I’m sure my parents would have had another child, but it just wasn’t in the universe’s plans, so they’ve been stuck with me. I’ve always said, though, that my pets are my siblings.
I know that there are stereotypes that come with being an only child, like that we’re spoiled or selfish or bossy or are too dependent. It all depends on how the parents raise the child.
I got a job at 16 (the ice cream job I still have), I’m literally the queen of the introverts, and I honestly get along better with adults than children. I’m fine with being alone, and I’m fairly self-sufficient. Yes, my parents still pay for some things, but that comes with the territory of me still living at home. I pay for mostly everything for myself, including my bills and my pesky student loan. I think maybe the #OnlyChildProbs were more evident when I was younger, because all of my friends had siblings that were around their age. Now I feel like since we’re all adults, it doesn’t seem as obvious since everyone kind of lives all over the place now.
But I’ll never know what it’s like to have a sibling. I wonder if I would be different if I had one. Maybe I’d be a little more care free or more outgoing. I’ll honestly never know, because that was completely out of my control. I’m so used to being an only child, and it’s nice to know I don’t have to deal with sibling fights. Or additional family drama. Yeah, I occasionally butt heads with my parents, but I can’t blame anything on a sibling.
Whenever I get married—assuming I can find a guy that won’t ghost me after the second date—it’ll be interesting for me to see another family’s dynamic and if I get any brother- or sister-in-laws. I know it won’t be by blood so it’ll be different, but it’s the closest I’ll ever get to siblings.
Are you an only child? Do you have siblings? Do you think you or your life would be different if you were an only child/had more or less siblings?
Strikeouts + Sprinkles 
I have an older sister and yes I think my life would be different if I were an only child. When you have a sibling, their interests sort of rub off on you and I learned to like things I never thought I would and vice versa. I was an only child for 2 years while she was away at university and it was vastly different dynamic. I like being alone at times and having a sibling throws that off sometimes, but at the end of the day it’s cool having a sibling to fight with and then 5 minutes later forget about it.
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I always liked the idea of having a sibling to have someone to hang out with, do things with, and learn new things. But I’m kind of on my own and sometimes it feels a little lonely. Thus why I make my parents do things with me haha.
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I have a younger sister. She is about a year younger, so we have always been close, whether we wanted to or not hahah. My life would definitely be different if I were an only child. I feel like my sister and I do a lot of stuff together even though we haven’t lived close to each other in 4 years. Some of my friends are her friends too and vice versa. We have gotten closer and closer as we have gotten older, so life wouldn’t be the same! She also likes the same music as me so car rides are always fun together lol.
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If I had a sibling, I’d want to be close in age to them so we could grow up together, similar to you and your sister. It must be nice to have someone you can turn to all the time, especially if you two have gotten closer over the years.
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I have an older brother. The one thing I love the most about having a sibling, is that at family gatherings, I always had/have someone to talk to. All my cousins are so much older than me, and a lot of them have children my age so it’s a weird dynamic. But the brother is always there for me. When we were kids we weren’t the best of friends but now he’s one of my best friends. He still gets on my nerves and we don’t see eye to eye on a few things but I love the loserface anyways lol
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I can definitely understand having someone to talk to at family gatherings; for me, that’s my mom. But it’s probably nice to have your partner in crime with you, and I feel like it’s really common for siblings to get along more when they’re older… so I’ve heard haha.
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Oh yes totally! For us it happened when he moved away for university. Just needed that space and a chance to be our own person
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I’m the oldest of 4 girls and I always wondered what it would have been like to be an only child. I do think it really comes down to how you’re raised – I’ve met self-centered only children AND self-centered people with siblings. I have noticed that lady friends with brothers tend to be really cool and tough and confident. Oldest kids tend to be responsible (me). Youngest kids tend to be the “babies” of the family… but these are all generalizations. It does make it nice to have family to visit, especially when you get older and your siblings have kids and you don’t have kids. 🙂
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I agree with you about the “roles” people tend to fall into depending on their birth order. I think maybe that goes back to our culture and family dynamics. And I also agree how people’s personalities are depend on how they’re raised. I was raised to do things for others and help out when I can and don’t ask for anything in return. I’ve always imagined what it’s like to be part of a big family, but I don’t know if my introverted self could handle it haha.
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I have an older sister. We’re not that close because we have different hobbies and interests. She’s about 3 years older than me. She lives about 40 miles away and we see each other about 5 times a year. It’s fine.
I always wanted a brother to play sports with and compete and everything. Oh well.
Reid
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That’s how my parents are with their siblings. We only see my dad’s brothers at Christmas, maybe on Thanksgiving if we all go to my grandparents’ house, but we see my mom’s brother a little bit more, maybe every couple of months. That’s how it’s always been, and I think it’s because they’re all older and had their own families and are doing their own things.
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